LOVE AT THE EDGE OF SEVENTEEN: Author Interviews

LOVE AT THE EDGE OF SEVENTEEN
A YA Romance Anthology
From Stars and Stone Books

It’s never easy to go through the fraught transition into adulthood, but the teens in this anthology have more to deal with than most: super powers, magic, illness, prejudice against sexual orientation and gender identity, and even death. Fortunately, they all find love at the edge of seventeen.

For this stop on our blog tour, we asked our authors to interview their characters! This is part two of two.

A.E. Hayes, “Her First Fever”

What do you want to be when you “grow up?”

Madeline: My path is pretty clear—get into an amazing college to study medicine, graduate with honors, and become a doctor. Nothing can stand in the way of those goals.Johnny: She’s more—driven than I am. But good for her.Madeline: Johnny, you have other things to focus on.Johnny: Fair point. Get back to me on this question in about five years. Though as for when I’ll “grow up?” Get back to me in ten years regarding that.

What do you like best about your partner(s), physically, and why?

Madeline: I’m not really one who focused on aesthetics, to be honest with you. But Johnny is cute in this natural, I-don’t-have-to-try way. And he can be vulnerable, which I like.Johnny: I’m not vulnerable! Geez. Thanks for making me sound like a puppy or something.Madeline: You’re welcome. 😉Johnny: ANYWAY, Madeline is incredibly hot… I mean, beautiful. She doesn’t like “hot.” I understand. But to me, she is. It’s not just her eyes, and her hair, and her body… it’s not like that. She’s just a gorgeous human being. I’m pretty damn lucky she tolerates me.

What drives you crazy about your partners(s), and why?

Johnny: She’s stubborn. I get the first word on this.Madeline: And you’re an arrogant jackass.Johnny: You know you’re changing your mind on that.Madeline: I love you, but no.Johnny: See? Stubborn!

Do you love high school or hate it? Why?

Madeline: It’s just means to an end. I can’t wait for college.Johnny: Same. I don’t know about college, but high school is just—passing time. I’m learning more through experiences, and sometimes, what happens in the real world teaches us more.

What’s next for you and your partner(s)?

Madeline: We’re taking it slowly. For Johnny’s sake and for my goals, slow and steady is the way to go.Johnny: I know better than to argue this point. Slow is fine. It’s better for my long-term health, too. Madeline is right.Madeline: Say that again.Johnny: Hell no.Madeline: Can’t blame a girl for trying, can you?

Cara McKinnon, “Three Jagged Pieces”

What do you want to be when you “grow up?”

SAM: I have no idea. I’m enjoying wrestling, but I don’t think I’ll go pro, and definitely not WWE-style. I’m not a good enough actor for that. I really enjoyed my college-level chemistry classes this year, so maybe something in that area.NOAH: I want to do something with music. I would love for our band, Panphilia, to be super successful, and I’d like to write a musical and maybe score movies or video games.SAM: Obviously I also want our band to be successful! If we can make a living with our music, that would be awesome.AVA: I’m all for the band doing well, too, but I’d also like to be involved in sociological work. I’m interested in studying intersectionality, bias, and prejudice. I’ll probably end up working for a non-profit or as a professor.

What do you like best about your partner(s) physically, and why?

NOAH: I think what I like the most are the parts that they might like the least. I love how soft Ava is, especially when we’re cuddling. I like how Sam is slim, but strong. I know he wishes he were more built, but I am a fan of tall and lean.SAM: I second loving Ava’s curves. They’re super sexy, and she should know that from how much time I spend touching them. I adore Noah’s hair, which he hates. He says it’s too fluffy and curly, but I love it. Of course, he’s also solid muscle, which is also a turn-on.AVA: Sam and Noah are both beautiful to me. But I have to say I like that I don’t have to stretch so far to kiss Noah. But then, I also like how comforting it is to be wrapped in Sam’s arms, and part of that is because he’s so tall. There are pluses and minuses on both sides.

What drives you crazy about your partners(s), and why?

AVA: Noah snores. Like, a lot.SAM: I don’t think that’s what they mean.NOAH: I don’t snore!SAM: Well, you kinda do. But it’s adorable.AVA: It really is, which is why it drives me crazy.NOAH: What drives me crazy is when they gang up on me.SAM: Hey, you two gang up on me sometimes, too.AVA: You two do it to me, too. So it’s a mutual method of driving-each-other-crazy.

Do you love high school or hate it? Why?

SAM: The school part was fine, but I couldn’t wait to get out of that town and away from my parents.AVA: School was OK for me. I never really stood out in a major way, positive or negative. I went, and I hung out with my friends, and that was it. I did like my classes, and singing, so that was nice.NOAH: I was bullied a lot for being trans, so I wasn’t a huge fan. But it was an easy way to see my friends and the people I love every day, so it had that going for it. And the fact that most of my senior year was independent study in various musical disciplines was nice.

What’s next for you and your partner(s)?

SAM: As we said before, we’re all in a band called Panphilia, and we just put out our first music video with Ava on keyboards and vocals. Making the video was very stressful, but it’s been getting some good reviews and steady traffic on YouTube and Vimeo, so that’s positive.NOAH: We have an apartment that we share with several other friends now, and though Sam and Ava will still be in dorms on-campus during the semester, this is a good place for us all to come and be together on weekends and breaks. It helps with the long-distance aspects of our relationship.AVA: Finishing college and finding work in the same place, geographically, is the biggest thing in our immediate future. In my field, I’ll probably go right into a master’s program after undergrad, and I’m going to try to stay close by. We don’t want to be apart any longer than we have to.NOAH: Whatever comes next, we’ll be up for the challenge together.SAM: Damned straight.AVA: Absolutely.

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